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Festive Fun With Cookies and Cocoa

MISSION, KS--(Marketwired - Nov 2, 2015) - (Family Features) Treat your holiday guests to something special this Christmas. From mouth-watering spritz cookie recipes that will outshine the rest, to delicious hot cocoa boosted with salted caramel and an edible candy spoon on the side, you'll be the host with the most in no time at all.

Spritz Cookies with a Little Glitz
You know gingerbread and sugar cookie, but do you recall the most impressive cookie of all? Spritz cookies are fast and fun. Use a Wilton Cookie Press to make dozens of delicious, perfectly-shaped uniform cookies quickly. Add a spritz of edible silver or gold Color Mist Food Color Spray to make them shiny and bright.

Santa's Favorite Spritz Cookie
Indulge Santa's sweet tooth with decadent chocolate spritz cookie sandwiches filled with a layer of peppermint icing. Take a shortcut by using decorator icing that is already flavored and ready to squeeze, perfect for the time-crunched holidays.

Ho-Ho-Hot Cocoa with a Twist
There's nothing quite as comforting as a cup of hot cocoa on a cold winter day, but add a dash of salted caramel flavor and you're in for a real treat. Made with velvety Dark Cocoa Candy Melts candy, steamed milk and a splash of Treatology Salted Caramel flavor, this cocoa offers just the right balance of salty and sweet.

In large bowl, beat butter and sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg, milk and extracts; mix well. Gradually add flour to butter mixture, mixing to make smooth dough. Do not chill.

Place dough into cookie press using an 8-petal flower disk and press cookies onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned around edges. Cool cookies on pan on cooling grid 2 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely on grid. You will need two cookies per treat.

Prepare buttercream icing or use pre-made buttercream icing. Use tip 12, cut disposable decorating bag and icing to pipe elongated beads on bottom of one cookie, following cookie shape. Sandwich two cookies together.

Use tip 4, cut disposable decorating bag and icing to pipe a dot in center of sandwich cookie. Top dot with either silver or gold sugar pearls.

Chocolate Peppermint Spritz Sandwich Cookies

Makes: 4 dozen sandwiches

2 1/2

cups all-purpose flour

2/3

cup cocoa powder

1/2

teaspoon baking soda

1/4

teaspoon salt

1 1/4

cups (2 1/2 sticks) butter, softened

1

cup granulated sugar

2/3

cup firmly-packed brown sugar

1

teaspoon Wilton Pure Vanilla Extract

2

eggs

Wilton Peppermint Decorating Icing

Heat oven to 350 F.

In medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.

In large bowl, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, mixing to make a smooth dough.

Break 12 candy wafers in half and place in cavities of mold. Place mold in microwave and microwave at half power or defrost setting for 1 minute. Gently jiggle and lightly tap mold to smooth melted candy. Continue to microwave and tap at 30-second intervals until smooth and completely melted.

Alternate melting method: Melt candy in disposable decorating bag according to candy package directions. Snip a small tip off end of bag and gently squeeze bag to fill cavities with melted candy.

Chill filled mold until candy spoons have hardened, about 10-15 minutes. Place mold on flat surface and gently push on bottom of cavities to release candy.

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